Rapid team response prevents contagious pneumonia outbreak on operations in Kandahar
Nominated category: Health Improvement and Promotion Award
Catching pneumonia is a serious problem at the best of times, but when a particularly contagious strain broke out at Kandahar Air Field where 2,700 serving personnel were based during Operation HERRICK 9, the consequences could have been catastrophic. An outbreak could reach epidemic proportions amongst the personnel at the base putting operations seriously at risk.
During daily patient reviews at Kandahar Airfield, medical staff began to notice that there was a dramatic rise in respiratory infections, with over 204 people reporting symptoms including high fever, fatigue, coughs and chest pains within a three week period. It was recognised that a respiratory infection was present at the base and risked spreading rapidly if left unchecked.
Not only did it risk spreading through the base, but also to other bases as the aircraft loadmasters are regularly in contact with personnel from all areas of the military. There was also a real possibility that aircraft could have been grounded due to lack of able bodied personnel – at one stage three Harrier pilots were out of action due to the illness, one more and Harrier close air support to the task force in Afghanistan would have completely stopped.
A rapid response that incorporated clinical awareness, excellent team skills and hard work made containment of the infection possible. The quick identification of the presence of the infection meant action was taken promptly by medical staff at the base.
An information campaign on the infection was started immediately within the base and shared across the whole spectrum of military health care. People were quickly mobilised to setup Quarantine blocks and rooms to hold infected personnel, making sure they were isolated until they were treated and cleared of the infection. To assist with the effort, a specialist Public Health team was deployed to the base. All medical personnel involved worked tirelessly to contain the significant outbreak.
Use of public health containment principles combined with the professionalism and diligence of medical staff meant that operations were not halted in Helmand or Kandahar provinces due to the outbreak. The spread of the infection to forward operating bases was prevented and troops affected in Camp Bastion were recognised and treated early in the process, all down to the information sharing and invaluable work of the team at Kandahar Air Field.
This sterling effort has also raised awareness across the defence forces of the serious impact that disease outbreaks can have on operations, putting force health protection back at the front of the commanders agenda. As a direct result of the experience of dealing with this outbreak, permanent joint headquarters have setup a public health notification system that rapidly engages public health experts, in collaboration with the Health Prevention Agency in order to provide timely interventions in future.